Bulls out tank the Bucks in a game missing everyone

In a game missing just about everyone from both sides, the Milwaukee Bucks managed to prevail, or the Bulls managed to tank harder. Depends on your view.

Chicago was without four of its five starters [Rose, Butler, Deng, and Noah] while Milwaukee was missing Larry Sanders, Luke Ridnour, Caron Butler, Gary Neal, Carlos Delfino, and ZaZa Puchlia.

Predictably, the game became an offensive struggle in which neither team could score.

Mike Dunleavy tried to single handedly win the game for the Bulls, scoring 24 on 9/15 shooting. However, Captain clank managed to out maneuver him by putting on a Marquis Teague-esque shooting display and going 0-10 from the field. Marquis Teague also turned in a Teague-like performance by going 1-7. When you get 1-17 shooting and a combined three points from your PGs, it's going to be a tough night.

Taj Gibson had a rare poor game with six turnovers to complement what would have otherwise been nice shooting at 5/9 from the field while Boozer and Snell chipped in the majority of the remainder of the Bulls points but on relatively inefficient performances.

So what's up with the Bulls injuries?

Joakim Noah will travel to NY, a sign that he has a chance to play. His injury was described as "an injury to his thigh or above the knee" for whatever that means. He had participated in shoot around and Monday's practice before being a late scratch.

Deng sounded like his injury was minor on Saturday, but he wasn't ready to go today despite two days rest, and Butler was said to be close a week ago which means my definition of close doesn't match Tom Thibodeau's definition of close because I'd think a week is enough to go from close to playing.

For fans of the "get a draft pick" theory, the injuries aren't necessarily a negative, especially as the Bulls cruise through this stretch of laughing stock teams. While the Bulls may now sit amongst them, their future at least has the hint of light at the end of the tunnel.

You don't think the Bulls can tank under Thibodeau?

They've now lost games to the Bucks and Jazz, the two worst teams in the NBA. Chicago clearly doesn't have enough to win. Not enough talent, not enough desire, not enough anything. One year of fighting back from a Rose injury with hope they'd get their star back for the playoffs and roll was fine.

A second year looked like too big mental hurdle even before the recent injuries to Deng/Noah decimated the team. Take your time guys.

The Bulls presently sit in eighth, claiming the last playoff spot, but the Nets, Cavs, and Raptors are all right there. The Bulls trajectory over the past 10 games (2-8) is on par with the worst tanking teams in the NBA, and if Chicago continued to play at this pace [as unlikely as that is], they would be in line for a top three draft position on lottery night.

Snell continues to show signs, Teague continues not to

I can see why the Bulls wanted to send Marquis Teague to the D-League. At this point, I can't imagine any team would even take him with a trade exception as a flier for the future. He's young, still has legit NBA speed, but everything else is way below par for the NBA.

Tony Snell doesn't look like a stud, but he continues to show signs he's a legit rotation player. His three ball wasn't falling last night, but he did okay at everything else and he's shot well enough this season to expect with a couple more years in the league he'll become a very solid long range shooter.

Bulls looking at D.J. Augustin?

Reports are that the Bulls will pick up D.J. Augustin after he clears waivers, likely to replace Mike James. Augustin probably gives the team quite a bit more than Teague. He's more in the Nate Robinson, C.J. Watson class in that he can at least create bad shots and knock down threes while lacking the size, consistency or decision making to really play well.

Personally, I'd rather ride Marquis Teague into the ground, the move shows the Bulls are still trying to win which is a tact I disagree with. The problem in the East is that the Bulls will never get far enough out of playoff contention that they'll give up and make the right decision to play for ping pong balls.

Comments

The TANK is still Alive!
I mentioned a week ago that further injuries may take tanking out of the front office's hands. I wish nothing ill upon Bulls players, but by any means necessary...TANK HARD 2014 乒乓

"However, Captain clank managed to out maneuver him by putting on a Marquis Teague-esque shooting display and going 0-10 from the field. Marquis Teague also turned in a Teague-like performance by going 1-7. When you get 1-17 shooting and a combined three points from your PGs, it's going to be a tough night."

Laughing so hard on that one... Teague was Teague-like!

F-ing pathetic.

I think the Bulls really can miss the playoffs here. Brooklyn and NY will rally eventually and have no reason to tank with no draft pick. Cleveland should be better and supposedly they are not trying to tank.

Ahead of the Bulls, Washington, Detroit and Charlotte are all legit. Boston or Toronto or Philly will end up with the 4 seed because that division is pathetic.

Again I'm not for the Bulls tanking the season away but if no major trades are going to be made involving Deng or Boozer, then the Bulls can tank away cause this team needs more talent and athletic players.

Yeah what's with our PGs and the 0-fer on 10+ shots? That's pretty hard to do, and it's the second time in the Bulls' last 21 games that it's happened (Nate was 0/12 in last year's Game 4 loss to Miami).

And who would have guessed that two different PGs would go 0/10+ from the field, and neither one of them were Teague!!

The Bulls looked pretty good with Teague running the floor in the 2nd quarter, 6 assists and 1 turnover and a 28-15 team advantage is pretty good. The 6 assists were a career high for a game, he'd never even had 5 before.

I can't figure out what happened to his 3pt shot since Summer League- he was hitting 3's at a decent rate, and he's still getting wide-open 3's, he's just missing them horribly. Facing NBA defenders instead of Summer Leaguer's shouldn't effect wide, wide, wide-open 3's and jumpers, but outside of the Detroit game he can't hit shit right about now.

If the Bulls sign Augustin you'll know the tank is off, he is much better than Teague right now and probably would mean more wins if he were to start getting Teague's minutes. Not that the tank was ever really on, Thibs was already playing James ahead of Teague because Teague was playing poorly.

Of course, anyone who would make that statement or endorse it, has to be a complete idiot, since any intelligent basketball fan knows how good of an NBA player Teague is or will certainly become.

I don't know whats worse, Hinrich who at least shoots like he's done it before and just misses, or Teague who pisses in his pants every time that he is presented with a wide open shot, and can't finish his layups after he does the one and only thing that he has the ability to do at an NBA level(dribble penetrate the lane).

BTW, anybody know what Teagues +/- was last night, I'm sure someone can find a contorted way to use it to make a case that he was the best player on the floor last night.

All we have to do is find a way to get Taj to join Rose, Butler, Deng and Noah on the suit and tie bench mob and we can guarantee at top 4 pick. Might I suggest a spinal tap for anyone of those guys thinking about playing.

"Might I suggest a spinal tap for anyone of those guys thinking about playing[?]" We all suspected you were a closet comic, but you are convincing us.

It seems like it would be impossible for the Bulls to continue with 2 wins out of each 10 games, but many fans are in favor of it at this point. I am too, and Why not? Funny thing is, they beat both Indy and Miami.

Deng being out like he is will not enhance his trade value, which was not high anyway. Do you think the Knicks would trade Shumpert for Dunleavy? Or better yet for Deng?

I think we should be using more of this Hinrich and Teague formula it is clearly getting the desired results. 2-8 is nice just hope they can keep it rolling and that the Nets and Knicks get their acts together and make the playoffs.

well looks like we're drafting a guard of some time this year, our guard play is downright horrific. If the Bulls management retain Hinrich and Teague after this season, there's something fundamentally wrong with them.

Why do so many people keep talking about "the results they have been getting! An early exit from the playoffs"??? The Bulls have had Rose/Thibs for the playoffs once, and they went to the ECF being led by a 22-year-old.

Very, very few teams would make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs without their superstar- hell, most wouldn't make the playoffs.

Most teams tank real easily when they lose their superstar for the season, the Bulls go to the 2nd round. Try to spin it any way you want, that's actually pretty impressive.

We'll have to see what happens this season, if guys are healthy they're still the 3 seed in this lousy ass East. But hopefully, they can stay around the 9/10 seed in the East by holding players out with a hangnail. That way, just in case Derrick wants to come back for the playoffs, he can- and if not, we tank hard the last 10-15 games and pick as high as we can.

I bet most can't name 3 teams that have lost their superstar and won a playoff series in the last 10 years. Hell, 20 years probably, I just know that it's pretty rare for a team to not completely fall apart. I know there has to be one or two.

Hell, they only had their worst starter last night, and they played the worst backcourt in NBA history, and almost won. Against a bad team yes, but we saw how hard it might by for this group to tank, since they've already shown how much they can win without Rose.

But yes, if Derrick Rose continues to be unavailable for the playoffs, I fully expect the Bulls to continue to go no further than the 2nd round of the playoffs.

I know heading into this season that when Rose, Noah, Deng and Boozer all play, the Bulls win like 85% of their games. And they are 1/1 in going to the ECF when Rose is playing and Thibs is coaching.

Instead of blaming Deng and Noah and even Boozer, who have done their jobs for the most part, we need to blame Rose for not being healthy.

OK, Don. I do agree with you, getting to the 2nd round of the playoffs last season was impressive. Of course, Brooklyn had far more talent and should have won game 7 on their home court. Still, with what the Bulls had, they did well.

However, do you really believe that team was just a healthy Rose from winning the NBA ring? Most fans do not.

You wrote, "Why do so many people keep talking about "the results they have been getting! An early exit from the playoffs"??? The Bulls have had Rose/Thibs for the playoffs once, and they went to the ECF being led by a 22-year-old."

So many fans keep talking about an early exit from the playoffs because we want them in the Finals! So do you, of course. But we differ on what it will take.

I too used to think the Bulls team, fully healthy, could win it all. Now I don't for two reasons:
1) First, they never are all healthy! Even when they played Miami in the ECF, they were not healthy, and they only managed one win in that series. For me personally, that was an early exit.
2) Too many of the players, including Deng, do not step up their game in the playoffs. In fact, their quality of play falls off! We've seen that multiple times from Boozer, Deng, Noah, Korver, and Rose.

Thus, I wrote, "clearly some talented new blood is needed." Keep winning 2 out of 10 games, guys, but get those wins against Miami and Indy, please. Thanks.

Sounds like the Bulls FO. It's a really bad plan though as it guarantees no titles during the Rose era unless Mirotic is a superstar which is very unlikely. I am thinking odds are good they resign Deng it is just such a Paxson move. Only thing worse than over paying a Deng once? Sequels are never as good as the original and the original was a untradeable albatross for half his deal.

It doesn't exactly take a basketball genius to forecast that as the Bulls course. It is the obvious course, and exactly what most Bulls fans believe that Bulls management will do, since it is the conservative/easy thing to do.

It is not however, what most Bulls fans would prefer to do, at least those who hope to win another championship in our lifetimes. In the end it will come down to what # Deng is ultimately willing to sign for, i.e what the rest of the league values him at.

It's hard to see any team offering Deng $12 million per year, but it might happen. If the Bulls have to bring him back, it must be partly for psychological reasons. I hope they don't pay him over $8 million per year.

"Most Bulls fans"-
Wanted to re-sign Eddy Curry to a 6 year, $60 million contract
Wanted to re-sign Ben Gordon for over $10 million/year (ask Joe Dumars how that worked out)
Wanted to draft DaJuan Blair over Taj Gibson
Wanted to draft Chris Douglas-Roberts instead of some Eurotrash named Asik
Wanted the Bulls to take (lots of guys) over Tony Snell

Like any organization in any sport in any country, the Bulls front office has made its fair share of mistakes, of course. But I wouldn't count "not listening to the fans" on that list.

I'm not for tanking. Professional Sports are supposed to be entertaining. Its not entertaining to watch an above average team purposefully play below average. This does not entertain me. You guys are crazy.

You have the same mindset as the Bulls FO so you should be fine. They are not trying to tank they just suck that bad right now. They should tank because one year of pain for a decade of enjoyment is the smart play.

BTW, they were in a much smaller market than the Bulls. Just saying the Bulls could afford to buy the pieces if they can land 2 elite players. Mirotic might (might!) turn out to be one, and drafting near the top this year could bring the other one. If Rose could ever regain most of his skill level, that could make 3. We can hope.

The only hope that the tankers have is for Butler, Deng and Noah to all end up injured for most of the rest of the season. Even given their histories, that is unlikely, and not something that any of us should actually root for.

"The Bucks, as most teams do, continued to put Boozer in pick and roll and Knight pulled up for a 23-footer that missed with the Bulls still down three and about 50 seconds left."

Even Stacey King was mentioning that on almost every possession in the 4rth quarter, so I guess everyone has finally figured out the "when in doubt run pick and roll at boozer" offense, even if it only took 3+ seasons to acknowledge it.

Of course it doesn't help when the disease that is his bozoholeiness becomes contagious and the power forwards combine for 12 turnovers, 6 each by boozer and Taj, or then again does it.

The good thing about tanking, or wanting to tank is that it makes the usual BoozerPaloozafest of clownlike behaviour/play almost tolerable since it is a significant aid in achieving this years goal, a top draft pick.

So it doesn't drive one nearly as crazy to see a guy(Hensen) who weighs less than the tatoo ink on Boozers body or the color he uses on his beard go for 25 & 14(primarily on boozer). or another guy who is borderline invisible(Udoh) get 3 consecutive offensive rebounds on one possession late in the 4rth against boozer when the Bulls were still in position to mount a comeback.

So, yea, I guess you could say that for the rest of this season I am now a big fan of the BozoHole, Hinrich and Teague, might as well throw Murphy and Snell in there, Heck, that should be our starting lineup, just put Thibs in a straightjacket.

The Bucks closed within 42-35 at the half. Then it was another brutal third quarter for the Bulls with unforced errors, inability to finish at the basket, often by Teague, and lazy dribbling, like when Snell got caught from behind on a fast break as he gamboled toward the rim. The sense of urgency seemed missing on offense, a contrast to the defensive effort led by Hinrich and Gibson and even out to the three point line as the Bucks were just two of 11.

What do you call an NBA point guard who can't make a layup, a D leaguer, or Welcome to Europe young man.

As much as I want the Bulls to pull out this loss for the tank, I can't bring myself to root for the Knicks. I know they need to make the playoffs to help the Bulls tank out. But for James Dolan to have to give up the #1 pick to Denver would be so sweet, it's hard to want the Knicks to do well.